On road trips, gas station bathrooms are often the punchline of jokes. But for Buc-ee's, where you do your business is serious business.

Texas' best-known roadside travel store, Buc-ee's, has bragged for years about its clean and spacious bathrooms. Soon, it'll have something else to stand out from the pack when it comes to pit stops: Its stalls are going high-tech.

The Texas operator of large roadside gas stations and convenience stores has led a $3 million round of funding for Tooshlights, a Los Angeles startup behind a system that uses red and green lights to indicate whether bathroom stalls are occupied. Texas travelers will start to see the lights in Buc-ee's bathrooms starting next year, said Jeff Nadalo, the company's general counsel.

Nadalo declined to say the amount of the investment, but said it makes Buc-ee's the second-largest stakeholder behind Allen Klevens, chief executive of Tooshlights' parent company, Modus Systems.

Buc-ee's has grown to 33 locations, including one in Terrell and its most recent store in Katy. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)

In Texas, Buc-ee's is famous for its toothy beaver mascot and aisles of wide-ranging road trip snacks, from fresh sandwiches to fudge to corn puffs dubbed "Beaver Nuggets." It has 33 locations across the state, including the newest in Katy. Construction of another Buc-ee's is underway in Denton.

On road trips, gas station bathrooms are often the punchline of jokes. But for Buc-ee's, where you do your business is serious business. Nadalo called the clean potties "one of the most important pieces of our customer experience."

Klevens came up with the idea for Tooshlights about four years ago after standing in long lines at the Hollywood Bowl. He later returned to the concert venue for a beta test.

Buc-ee's executives discovered Tooshlights after reading a story about its use at the Hollywood Bowl and thinking it'd be a good way to move along foot traffic in its own heavily frequented bathrooms, Nadalo said.

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The phone call introduced Klevens to Buc-ee's. He's visited eight locations and said he often sports a Buc-ee's baseball cap.

Tooshlights' system hooks up to a "smart latch" in each bathroom stall. In front of each stall, a light on the ceiling indicates if the stall is empty or in use. It is similar to the system used by some airport and concert venue parking garages.

1/2Here's a rendering of Tooshlights' smart restroom traffic system. It uses green and red lights to show which stalls are empty or in use. (Tooshlights)

The light turns green if the stall is unlocked and red if it is locked. It turns blue or red for handicapped-accessible stalls. In a sports arena or stadium, it can flash a team's color to indicate when the team scores.

Its software can monitor stall traffic in real-time. It can send alerts to clean the bathroom after a certain number of uses. It can also flag a stall that hasn't been used in awhile and may need some attention.

Nadalo said he sees a lot of potential for Tooshlights' system at large venues. But he's thinking beyond bathrooms. He said it'd be a good fit for retailers' dressing rooms, too.